- Wood burning: Between one and four times per year depending on use.
- Domestic bituminous coal: A minimum of twice per year.
- Smokeless fuels: A minimum of once per year.
- Gas appliances: Once a year (with additional check by Gas Safe technician).
- Oil appliances: Once a year (with additional check by OFTEC technician).
The job of a flue is to allow the free passage of unburnt products of combustion and dangerous fire gasses up and out of the chimney. Having your chimney swept regularly will remove soot, creosote build up (and therefore reducing chimney fire risk), and any other potential blockages such as bird nests, cobwebs, debris etc. Chimney sweeping will also increase the efficiency of some appliances.
Upon arrival, we will carry out an external observation of the chimney stack and terminal. Once inside, we will inspect the fireplace and check that it meets current building control requirements. After protecting the floor surface and sealing up the opening, a full power sweep and vacuum will be performed in accordance with the national standard. Any blockages will be removed and a smoke evacuation test carried out. After completion, an electronic sweep certificate will be issued.
Depending on the type of your installation, we can recommend a suitable bird guard or cowl to prevent this from happening in the future. In most instances, this can be done from our ladders, however sometimes scaffolding is required. Prices start from £180.
Generally, seasoned wood is seen as the most environmentally-friendly fuel and therefore the one that is the most widely-reccommended. However, it’s important to use only dry wood, which should contain 20% moisture or less. Logs should not be too large, around 5 inches wide (125mm) will give the best result. Using large logs to make the fire last longer will usually result in a lower burning temperature, more wasted fuel and more pollution.
If you have a multi-fuel stove, you can burn smokeless coal. This will produce much less air pollution than regular “house coal”.
A moisture meter is a very useful tool. To test the moisture content of any log, split it first and then test the split surface. A moisture reading of between 10-20% is ideal.
If you are buying for immediate use, beware of the word "seasoned"as it means nothing in reality. The best choice is to look out for the ‘Ready to Burn’ logo, or buy from a trusted local source for reassurance that the logs are dry enough to burn.
Open fires burn fuel at a much lower temperature than a well operated stove. If burning wood, open fire users will get the best results from using dry logs which are not too large and burning them on a properly fitted open fire (not just a recess in the wall).
There is a specific problem with the types of fuels burned on open fires in Smoke Control Areas (smokeless zones). This means that wood or normal “house coal” must not be burned on an open fire.
If you live in a Smoke Control Area and wish to burn wood, the most popular choice is to have a DEFRA exempt log burning stove installed.
Logs need to be properly stacked, not heaped in a pile. A well ventilated log store with open sides and a roof is ideal. You should easily be able to achieve moisture content of 20% or less in 6 to 12 months if your logs are the right size and properly stored.
If you cut and split the logs yourself, try to do this when the wood is fresh cut as it is much easier on you and your tools. Once split, you have greatly increased the surface area of each piece and it will dry much faster.
